April 14, 2009

Number15

VIEWPOINT

There will be no unbelievers in heaven – or in hell!” Jimmy Pulliam told me about that slogan on a bumper sticker. 

Sadly, there are unbelievers on earth.  Christopher Hitchens (well known atheist) has written a new book called God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

The fact that Jesus lived has been clearly established. He’s not a figment of the imagination but a historical person. No educated person contests this fact; Jews, Muslims, and atheists all believe as a fact of history that Jesus lived.  Many deny, however, that the historical Jesus was the divine Son of God, and they deny He rose from the dead.

How do we demonstrate the reality of the resurrection?  For the apostles, of course, it was confirmed by many personal appearances of the risen Lord  —  the most convincing evidence of all.  The gospels present many other evidences for the reality of the resurrection.

There’s another approach, however, used by Peter in his first gospel sermon. 

How did Peter explain the resurrection on the Day of Pentecost?  He didn’t give factual evidence.  He didn’t say, “I know God raised Him up again because I saw Him.” 

Instead he declared, “I know God raised Him up because it was impossible for Him to be held in death’s grip.”  This is recorded in Peter’s words in Acts 2:24, where Jesus is referred to as the One “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”

Peter declared with absolute certainty, “God raised up Jesus — the man you nailed to a cross.”

Remember that Peter was speaking to a crowd in Jerusalem, the city where Jesus died. Many in that crowd had probably been eyewitnesses to Jesus’ crucifixion, which had happened there less than two months earlier. His execution had been a prominent event in the city, one that no doubt was a topic of discussion for a long time. Peter was addressing people keenly interested in what he was talking about.

In Peter’s words to them, the resurrection was just as much a fact of history as the crucifixion — a fact with immediate and powerful results. And the reason Peter gave for the resurrection is simply this: it wasn’t possible that Jesus could be held by death.

“The world today says, ‘It’s impossible for Jesus to rise from the dead.’ But Peter said, ‘It’s impossible for Jesus not to rise from the dead” (Henry Blackaby, Experiencing the Resurrection).

How could Peter make such a statement? His argument was not based upon the kind of factual evidence we would think of; instead Peter based it on the nature of biblical prophecy. In stating that it was impossible for death to hold Jesus, Peter noted that David spoke “concerning Him” (Acts 2:25).  Christ’s resurrection had already been prophesied.  And once God speaks, it is done. Jesus must rise again because God’s Word is always true; He cannot be wrong.  Once the prophetic word is given, God’s nature is such that He cannot fail to fulfill it.

Peter quotes Psalm 16 and says that David was speaking of Christ when he said, “You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Acts 2:27).  Peter was whispering into the hearts of the Jews standing before him, for Jews knew that once God spoke through a prophet, it was as good as done.

When you observe the post-resurrection disciples, you see that they had life! Their circumstances didn’t matter. They had joy in the midst of suffering and peace in the midst of turmoil. Nothing could take away their passion arising from the everlasting life they’d received from Christ.

As the apostle Paul tells us, “If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:5).

That is the essence of salvation—new life in Christ Jesus.

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A phone call from Harvey Starling reemphasized what he has already said in person:  “The special collection for Romania is a tremendous help in the work!” I’m proud of our Cedar Grove family – what a demonstration of “storing up treasure in heaven” (Matthew 6:20).

I look forward to seeing you Sunday with a Bible, a smile and a positive word.                                                                                                       RA

“Perhaps the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the resurrection.”— John R. W. Stott